unreasonable
Americanadjective
-
not reasonable or rational; acting at variance with or contrary to reason; not guided by reason or sound judgment; irrational.
an unreasonable person.
-
not in accordance with practical realities, as attitude or behavior; inappropriate.
His Bohemianism was an unreasonable way of life for one so rich.
- Synonyms:
- nonsensical, stupid, absurd, preposterous, silly, foolish, senseless
-
excessive, immoderate, or exorbitant; unconscionable.
an unreasonable price; unreasonable demands.
- Synonyms:
- extravagant
-
not having the faculty of reason.
adjective
-
immoderate; excessive
unreasonable demands
-
refusing to listen to reason
-
lacking reason or judgment
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unreasonable
First recorded in 1300–50, unreasonable is from the Middle English word unresonabel. See un- 1, reasonable
Explanation
To be unreasonable means acting in an irrational way. Your expectation that your favorite team will win the Super Bowl every year is unreasonable. When someone's unreasonable, they're not using reason, or common sense, to make decisions or demands. Add the prefix un- to reasonable, "having sound judgment," and you get an adjective that's perfect for describing illogical behavior. It's often used for a certain kind of demanding stubbornness too: "It's completely unreasonable to make your server take your soup back five times to warm it up a little more."
Vocabulary lists containing unreasonable
"The Southpaw"
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Chronically Dolores
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Part 3 Vocabulary (Unit 2)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“A Day of Unreasonable Conversation,” spearheaded by social impact agency Propper Daley, with partner organization Invisible Hand as creative directors, was meant to “unlock progress through the power of narrative and creative expression.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2024
Rush, who won a Bafta for best male comedy performance for his role as Ollie in the BBC series Am I Being Unreasonable?, appeared in a sketch show for Children in Need last year.
From BBC • Nov. 16, 2023
Unreasonable performance expectations were among the reasons employees at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., sought to form a union earlier this year.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 10, 2021
Re: Unreasonable: My son was in a marriage like this.
From Washington Post • Sep. 30, 2018
Unreasonable aggressions against the Indians brought on temporary reverses, but the Pernambucanos persevered, and the Jesuits also established missions.
From The South American Republics Part I of II by Dawson, Thomas C.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
